Date: 5/9/2008 2:27:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 63194
Heh... he is getting some heat lately because of a comment he made that was similar to a John Kerry comment about the troops... oops. Still love King though.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 3:12:00 AM
From Authorid: 62798
I completely agree. The books are so intense and haunting, and just plain good. BTW I have seen the movie and read the book in each case, so I can make a comparison. I love Stephen King's work and I hae read many,many of his masterpieces.  |
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Date: 5/9/2008 3:19:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 63194
Have you read The Dark Tower series? - amazing! |
Date: 5/9/2008 3:58:00 AM
From Authorid: 63047
So far I've only read The Shining but I have Pet Semetary as well. I know most of his movies are good, so that must mean the books are just as good since That's the way it works out lol. But yes, Stephen King is underrated and he is a great writer  |
Date: 5/9/2008 4:04:00 AM
From Authorid: 30747
I've read just about all of his books starting way back in highschool and he's more commercial now than he was back then (can't blame the guy though) his style of writing is better than any classic because he truly has the knack for putting the reader right into the story, unlike any I've ever known. There is never a dull moment in his books and they definitely stir the imagination. That combined with his prolificness makes him the greates writer of all time. IMO  |
Date: 5/9/2008 4:37:00 AM
From Authorid: 63241
I've read all his books and I'm amazed at the man's gift of writing! I've disliked three of his books because the endings were just too sad. But I agree that the movies just don't equal the books...except maybe "Green Mile" which was very much like his book. I've wondered at times where he got his ideas from and I've suspected he MIGHT have gotten a few ideas from the old Twilight Zone series. No matter though, he's an exceptional writer and deserves the kudos!!  |
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Date: 5/9/2008 4:42:00 AM
From Authorid: 63241
I just read your comment about King making a comment about the troops similar to Kerry. I truly hope Stephen King doesn't start with the political & government-type statements like so many well recognized people seem to do. |
Date: 5/9/2008 5:20:00 AM
From Authorid: 64414
I couldnt agree more Ben...his talent is underrated. I always try to read the book before seeing the movie, too.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 5:53:00 AM
From Authorid: 5349
I think he could use smaller words. My vocabulary is rather advanced, but he kind of goes nuts sometimes. His stories are great, I'm just not a fan of the way they're written. I love his short stories, though. I guess I'm more of a Dean Koontz kind of girl.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 8:09:00 AM
From Authorid: 3901
I 100% agree with you Ben. I started reading King as soon as I was old enough to sit and read through a full book. I was 8 and the book was Salem's Lot. The movies absolutely cannot touch the books, the detail and way he's able to capture everything in words is just brilliant.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 8:24:00 AM
From Authorid: 62095
Yeah I have been reading his works since high school also. There have been a few books that I couldn't get into but I think he is absolutly wonderful. I think that he is rated about right, maybe a little underrated. Good post!!  |
Date: 5/9/2008 8:29:00 AM
From Authorid: 37101
I've read a few of his books -- The Stand, Gerald's Game, Bag of Bones, and the Regulators. They were all fantastic. He deserves the support of every person who raves about him. -  |
Date: 5/9/2008 8:53:00 AM
From Authorid: 53284
He's a great writer/story teller. He's so good with his imagery that you feel like you're in the story. I will admit that I sometimes skip the blood and guts descriptions that he has in some books.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 9:49:00 AM
From Authorid: 64279
He's a great writer, I'll give him that. I just think he gets bored at the end of his novels now and ends up throwing a random alien in the end because of that....That's just my opinion. My favorite novel of his wil always be The Shining. I've read that about 20 times, lol.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 12:00:00 PM
From Authorid: 15070
Stephen King will always be one of my favorate Authors. I enjoy his books, and I get pumped every time a new one comes out. He has such a dark sense of humor. And a few of his books have given me serious goosebumps!  |
Date: 5/9/2008 12:19:00 PM
From Authorid: 36901
I agree with you 100%. I haven't read one of his books yet that disappointed me. I have yet to watch a movie "based" on one of his books that I was happy with. They NEVER do it justice. I think he's underrated for sure.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 12:34:00 PM
From Authorid: 63725
I watched his movie Delores Claiborne and now watch every movie he makes. As far as reading his books I have not but I think I will. Misery is another movie that was great! Of course my favorite actress Kathy Bates was in it. Thanks for this Ben as I have found many times I am disappointed in a movie after I have read the book. Maybe I need to read his books.  |
Date: 5/9/2008 5:59:00 PM
From Authorid: 17014
I love his books and movies equally. It's awesome when he plays a small role in his own movies!  |
Date: 5/9/2008 9:28:00 PM
From Authorid: 55967
I believe King is so successful for two reasons. One is his movies. Face it, if no movies about his books came out, over half the people who know who he is would have never heard his name. Of course, you can say that the nature of his books made movies inevitable, thus coming back to his talent. The second reason is that curious division between "literary" and "commercial" that you pointed out. I have to say that I see more commercial in his work than literary, however, he is one of the very few writers in the world that is able to BE literary while BEING commercial (or writing genre, which is equated sometimes with being commercial). The vast majority of writers are either/or. You can detect literary writing in his work, especially the later work I would say, but he is pegged as a horror writer (genre writer) because it was that that brought attention to him and attracted the general public. If you ask him, he will always identify himself as "An American Novelist."  |
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Date: 5/9/2008 9:32:00 PM
From Authorid: 55967
I like Wildbob's response in his specifics. Yes, he is a great storyteller and really handles imagery. I would like to add that he does a near perfect job of foreshadowing upcoming conflict. I love that. He isn't called "The Master of Suspense" for nothing. |
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Date: 5/9/2008 9:38:00 PM
From Authorid: 55967
I would like to add one more thing. He is not only one of the few that straddles literary writing and genre writing, but he is also one of the few horror writers that straddles the limited horror genre and mainstream commercialism. Most horror writers have a small, limited audience (usually young) who just want a good, dark, scary, bloody story. King grabs them along with the rest with his more developed storytelling. And don't make a mistake; the man knows his craft inside and out. In spite of his being a pop horror writer, he knows the literary world very well, even if they don't set a plate for him at their table (his imagery). Read On Writing. |
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Date: 5/9/2008 9:40:00 PM
From Authorid: 55967
Someone ought to collect "Stephen King Quotes" sometime. They're hilarious and often very insightful. He once compared his work to literary work by comparing literature in general to food. He basically said that if literary work were a fine dinner with steak and wine, his work was a Big Mac, fries, and a shake from McDonald's. |
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Date: 5/9/2008 9:45:00 PM
From Authorid: 55967
Ben, what exactly did he say? I missed that. |
Date: 5/9/2008 10:10:00 PM
From Authorid: 16671
I'm with you, the man is amazing. They really messed up some of his films. However I thought they did a very good job on "The Stand" Christine wasn't too bad and the darkman was very well done also. I loved the book Pet Cementary but they could have did a better job on making the movie. I just watched the show the mist, it was good but of course I hated the ending. He has two more books out that I've read but I'm just not good at remembering the names of them but I know I loved them. He is on a roll once again.  |
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Date: 5/10/2008 1:00:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 63194
On Writing was an amazing book. |
Date: 5/10/2008 12:04:00 PM
From Authorid: 3263
SK rox!!!  |
